Cover supplying mechanism for multiple can closing machines



g 1933- A. 1.. KRONQUEST 51 AL, 3,921,977

COVER SUPPLYING' MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE CAN CLOSING MACHINES Filed 001. 23, 1951 5 Shets-Sheet 1 ATTRNEY Aug 9 193% A. L. KRONQUEST ET AL 11,921,977

COVER SUPPLYING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE CAN CLOSING MACHINES Filed Oct. 23, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTQNEY Aug? 1933- A. L. KRONQUEST ET AL. 19 9 COVER SUPPLYING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE CAN CLOSING MACHINES Filed Oct. 23, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS 1933 A. L. KRONQUEST El AL 1,921,977

COVER SUPFLYING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE CAN CLOSING MACHINES Filed Oct. 23, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ltlllllli wall,

Illglllll/I'Z WMMM ATTORNEYS 1933- A. L. KRONQUEST El AL 1#321,977

COVER SUPPLYING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE CAN CLOSING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 23, 1931 INVENTOR 4 504 BY fimwm ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 8 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COVER SUPPLYING MECHANISM FOR MULTIPLE CAN CLOSING MACHINES tion of New York Application October 23, 1931. Serial No. 570,690

14 Claims. (01. 11314) The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a cover supplying mechanism for a can closing machine, and more particularly a can closing machine which is adapted to simultaneously close a series of cans.

An object of the invention is to provide a cover supplying mechanism which is constructed so as to feed a line of covers at right angles to the path of travel of a series of lines of cans, and to simultaneously release and place a cover on a can in each line.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cover supplying mechanism of the above type, wherein the cover feeding mechanism is controlled by the cans so that if there are no cans to be closed, no covers will be fed and released.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a cover supplying mechanism of the above character wherein the covers, when released, are centered and delivered in a predetermined place so as to insure the placing of the cover on a can.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustiation one embodiment of the invention- Figure 1 is a view partly in plan and partly in section of a portion of a machine for feeding a series of lines of cans to a closing mechanism and embodying the cover supplying mechanism of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the means for feeding, marking and supporting the covers, and the means for transferring the covers tothe cover placing mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a detail partly in plan and partly in section, showing the drive for the cover feeding turret;

Fig. 4 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section showing the means for feeding the covers and for releasing the covers for the placing of the same on the cans;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the means for supporting and releasing the covers and the operating cam therefor;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, showing the cover supporting means and the manner of releasing the covers;

Fig. '7 is a detail view, partly in plan and partly in section, showing the manner of operating one of the supporting rails for releasing the covers;

Fig. 8 is a view partly in vertical section, showing the manner of controlling the cover feed by the passing cans;

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view showing the control of the cover feed by the can;

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view showing the manner of rendering the clutch dog inoperative when no cans are to be covered;

Fig. 11 is a view on an enlarged scale, showing more or less diagrammatically the manner of transferring the covers from the cover feeding turret to the feeding device which moves the covers in a line substantially at right angles to the path of travel of the cans;

Fig. 12 is a view partly in plan and partly in section showing the position of the parts 7 at the time when the cover is taken from the cover feeding turret by the traveling cover feeding chain;

Fig. 13 is a vertical sectional view showing the manner of supporting and operating the dogs which support the stacked covers and release the same one at a time;

Fig. 14 is an end view of one of the dogs, and

Fig. 15 is a plan view of the same.

Machines are in use for filling a plurality so of cans simultaneously. The cans are fed to the filling machine in a series of lines and are conveyed therefrom to a cover applying station and then to a closing station, where the covers are secured to the cans. The present invention 35 has particularly to do with a cover supplying mechanism for a multiple closing machine of the type specified. The filled cans are fed by a traveling conveyor which moves intermittently and which will carry the cans to the filling station, then to the cover applying station and then to the closing station, and the can remains at a standstill while it is being filled and also while it is being covered and closed. 'The cover supplying mechanism 96 includes means for feeding a line of covers in a direction substantially at right angles to the path of travel of the cans from the filling machine to the closing machine. The cover feed is so timed that a series of covers will be placed 100 so that there is a cover directly above each can when it stops at the cover applying station. This cover feeding mechanism is controlled by the cans which are approaching the cover supplying station, so that if there are no cans to be covered, no covers will be fed. The covers are fed along supporting rails by traveling feed fingers which place the covers in a predetermined position at each cover applying station. The covers are all simultaneously released, and

drop by gravity on to the cans beneath the same. Each cover passes through an opening in a plate, which opening is shaped so as to center and properly position the cover on the can beneath the plate.

The invention will possibly be better understood by a detail description of the illustrated embodiment thereof. Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of the machine for filling, cover applying and closing cans. The filling station may be of any well-known character, and has not been illustrated. The cans are indicated at C in the drawings. The cans are supported by a table 1 and move along said table between guide rails 2, 2. There are sixlines of cans in the present illustrated embodiment of the invention. The cans are moved along the table by traveling conveyor chains 3, 3 carrying bars 4 which are spaced from each other so that a group of cans will rest against each bar and be conveyed by these chains intermittently, first to the filling station, then to the cover applying station and then to the closing station. The conveying chains 3, 3 may be driven by any suitable intermittently operating driving mechanism which will be timed so that the cans remain at a standstill while they are being filled, and also at a standstill while the covers are being applied thereto.

The covers are placed in a stack holder 5 which may be of any desired character, but which is preferably of the construction shown and described in the patent granted George Flock, June 21, 1932, No. 1,864,422. Briefly it may be stated that the covers are stacked one on another in a stack holder which is in the form of rods indicated at 5. There are three of these rods, and the covers are stacked therebetween. These rods are each provided with a supporting shaft centrally thereof on which a dog 5 is mounted so that it can be oscillated. Each dog is connected by means of a link 5 to the ring 6, and the ring 6 is connected through the link 7 to a crank on the upper end of the shaft 8. When this shaft is operated, it will oscillate the ring, and the ring, through the links, will oscillate the dogs. Each dog has a supporting lug or lip on which the stacked covers rest. Each dog also has a separating lug or lip 5. These lugs or lips are staggered relative to each other so that when the dog is in one position, the stack will rest on the lugs or lips 5 and then when the dog is oscillated, the separator lug or lip 5 will move between the two lowermost covers and will release the lower cover and support the stack until the dogs are again oscillated so that the stack drops on to the lugs or lips 5*. When the covers are released they drop on to a table 9 which is provided with a guide rail 10 formed concentric to a shaft 11 carrying a rotating armed turret 12. The covers drop between the arms, and the arm will carry the cover along the table 9.

There is a marking mechanism which is indicated at 13. The covers are carried through this marking mechanism and to a position where the cover is transferred to a feed chain 14. The feed chain 14 runs over a sprocket wheel 15 on a shaft 16, and also over a sprocket wheel 17 on a shaft 18. This feed chain has feed fingers 19 at spaced intervals thereon. On the shaft 16 there is a gear wheel 20 meshing with a gear wheel 21 carried by an auxiliary shaft 22. This auxiliary shaft 22 carries a bevel gear 23 which meshes with a bevel gear on a vertical driving shaft 24. This vertical driving shaft 24 carries a worm gear 25 which meshes with a worm 26 on a shaft 27 (see Fig. 3). The shaft 2'7 carries a gear 28 meshing with a gear 29 on a shaft carrying a sprocket wheel 30. The sprocket wheel 30 is operated by a sprocket chain 31 running over a sprocket wheel 32 on a shaft 33 which is driven by a sprocket chain 34. This is the main driving mechanism for the cover supplying and feeding mechanism.

The shaft 33 carries a bevel gear 35 meshing with a bevel gear 36 on a shaft 38. On the upper end of the shaft 38 is a gear wheel 39. Said gear wheel 39 is provided with a sleeve 40 which is journaled in the frame of the machine. At the lower end of the sleeve is a collar 41 carrying a driving lug 42. Attached to a sleeve 43 keyed to the shaft 38 is a pivoted driving dog 44. Said dog is pivoted at 45. A spring 46 normally swings the dog so that the upper end 47 contacts with the lug 42 and thus imparts rotation to the gear wheel 39. When, however, the driving dog 44 is moved to the broken line position at the right in Fig. 10, then said dog is out of the path of the lug 42, and no rotary movement will be imparted to the gear wheel 39, although the shaft 38 continues to rotate. The gear wheel 39 meshes with a gear wheel 48 on the shaft 8 which carries the crank at the upper end to which the link 7 is attached. When this gear wheel 39 is rotated, then oscillations are imparted to the cover releasing mechanism and the covers will be released one at a time and placed in front of the arms 12 of the rotating cover feeding turret 12.

The feed of the covers is controlled by the cans traveling along the can line adjacent the cover stack, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. This cover feed control includes a trip shoe 49 115 adjustably mounted on an arm 50 of a rock lever pivoted at to a bracket 61 carried by the frame of the machine. The arm 62 of the rock lever is connected at 63 to a link 64. The link 64 is in turn connected to an arm 65. The 120 pivotal connection 66 between the link 64 and the arm is of a character that it may be shifted and connected to the link at different set positions. The arm 65 is carried by a shaft 67 mounted in suitable bearings in the frame 125 of the machine. The shaft 67 carries a control arm 68. A spring 69 is attached to the frame and to this control arm, and normally holds said arm in the position shown in full lines in this figure. Directly over the trip shoe 49 is 130 a guide plate '70 having an inclined face '71 at the advance end thereof. The can bodies are fed along the table underneath this plate '70, and as the can body contacts with the trip shoe 49, it will depress said trip shoe to the broken line position. When the trip shoe is in the broken line position, then the control arm 68 is raised to the broken line position, and out of the path of travel of the projecting lug '72 on the driving dog 44. The driving dog 44 will then take the position shown in the full lines, through the action of the spring 46, and this will cause the gear to rotate with the shaft 38 and the covers to be released. This coupling up of the cover releasing mechanism to the operating shaft 145 therefor is so timed that a series of six covers will be fed and placed over the six cans when they reach the cover applying station. It will be understood, of course, that this trip shoe may be placed at any position along the line of travel L0 of the cans, and there may be a trip shoe for each line of cans, if so desired. The essential feature is that the cans being fed will control the cover releasing mechanism. If there is a can in place for filling in one line, the chances are that there is a can in place for filling at each line, and therefore, when there is a can in one line operating upon the shoe 49, there will be cans similarly disposed in all of the other lines. For this reason, the control of the releasing mechanism is operated from one line of cans only.

From the above it will be apparent that the filled cans are moved along the table 1 in six lines, six abreast, and as they pass this trip shoe, they will start into action the cover releasing mechanism, so that covers will be placed for closing the cans. When the cans cease, then the cover supplying mechanism stops, and therefore, covers are supplied only in case there are cans to be covered.

As shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings, a cover indicated at C has been brought by the turret finger 12 to a position where a feed finger 19 will engage the same. The feed finger 19 is shown in broken lines (Fig. 11) as contacting with the cover C and as taking up the feed of the cover. The cover carried by the feed finger 19 is directed along the table 9 on to supporting rails '73, '73. The receiving end of these supporting rails '73 is inclined upwardly as indicated at '74. The cover C is, as shown in the drawings, of the friction plug type, and covers of this type having projecting flanges. It is these projecting flanges that rest on the supporting rails '73. The supporting rails '73 are provided on their inner faces with horizontally supporting ledges '75. The rail '73 at the left of the machine as viewed in Fig. 5 is carried by arms '76, 76. Each arm is mounted for oscillation on a short stub shaft '77 carried by a bracket '78. The brackets '78 are mounted on a bar '79 extending from one side of the machine to the other side thereof, where said bars are adjustably mounted on brackets and 81 (see Figures 1 and 4). The rail '73 at the right of the machine is carried by arms 82, each of which is carried by a short stub shaft fixed to a bracket 88, which brackets are in turn attached to a bar 84 extending from one side of the machine to the other and ,adjustably mounted on the brackets 80 and 81. These mountings for the bars '79 and 84 permit the bars to be bodily shifted toward and from each other, carrying therewith the supporting rails for the covers, and thus the rails may be properly spaced for the covers and for different sized covers.

Extending from one side of the machine to the other is a bar 85 which lies between the rails '73, 73. The receiving end of this bar is inclined upwardly as indicated at 86. The feed chain 14 is supported by this bar 85, and therefore, travels in a horizontal line, maintaining the feeding fingers while operating to feed covers in a fixed line of travel.

From the above it will be apparent that the covers released one at a time from the stack holder will be transferred by a cover feeding turret to the feed fingers, and these feed fingers will carry the covers along the supporting rails '73, '73. The feed fingers 19 are spaced the same distance as the center of the cans in the different lines, and therefore, when a cover is properly placed over one can. there will be cover properly placed over the other cans. i

After the covers have been properly placed over the cans, the supporting rails are withdrawn from their support of the ends and the ends thus released drop on to the cans. Associated with the arm 76 at the cover stack side ing laterally from this cross head 89 is a pin 95 with which a link 96 is connected. The link 96 is connected to the outer end of an arm 9'7. The arm 9'7 is pivoted on a shaft 98. On this shaft is an arm 99 carrying a roller 100 running in a cam groove 101 in a drum 102. The drum 102 is fixed to a gear wheel 103. This gear wheel 103 is keyed at the upper end of the shaft 11. The gear wheel 103 meshes with the gear wheel 23 which drives the chain carrying the cover feeding fingers. The cam groove 101 is provided with a very short abrupt offset 104. When this offset portion of the cam groove 101 engages the roller 100, it will lower the cross head, causing the pins 87 and 88 to be lowered, and this will swing the supporting rails '73, '73 away from each other, thus releasing the covers. Just as soon as the covers are released, the supporting rails are returned to their normal cover supporting position.

At each cover releasing station there are diametrically opposed releasing pins 105. These pins 105 are attached to the bars '79 and 84, respectively. The pins extend through slots 106 in the supporting rails andare so disposed as to be substantially flush with the inner face of the supporting rails. When the cover is centrally over the can end, it will be directly in front of these pins. The swinging of the supporting rails will release the cover at both sides simultaneously, as the cover is held from movement with either supporting rail during the swinging thereof. The released covers fall through an opening 107 in a plate 108 attached to the lower face of the bars '79 and 84. This opening 107 is tapered inwardly toward the lower face'thereof, and this insures that the cover will pass through the opening and be properly centered as it falls on to the can beneath the same. In Fig. 5 of the-drawings, a can is shown at C beneath one of the openings 10?, and when the supporting rails are swung away from each other, first the pins center the cover so that it will properly drop into the opening 107, and the opening 107 insures that the cover will be properly centered and dropped on to the can beneath the same. The feed fingers are moving continuously, but the can is stationary beneath the cover supplying means when the covers are released. The cam offset 104 is so timed as to swing the supporting rails and release the covers so that they will drop simultaneously on to the respective cans beneath the same.

When it is desired to adjust the cover feed for different size covers, the bars '79 and 84 areshifted toward or from each other, carrying From the above it will be apparent that a cover supplying mechanism has been provided for a multiple can closing machine whereby a plurality of covers are positioned and simultaneously released so as to be dropped on to a can in each line. The covers are released from the stack by a mechanism which is controlled by the passing cans, so that if there are no cans to be closed, no covers will be released. The cans stand still during the filling operation, and during the applying of the cover thereto, and therefore, there is a sufficient time interval between the positioning of the filled cans, as shown in Fig. 1, which through the control mechanism, sets into operation the releasing mechanism, or stops the same, so that no covers willbe placed for releasing unless there are cans to be covered. The cans after passing the cover feeding station, are then carried with the covers applied, to the closing station, wherein devices similar to that shown in the prior application referred to may be usedfor forcing the covers into tight sealing engagement with the cans. The machine with the cover supply means described, is particularly designed for filling cans with liquids, such as paint, and for covering and sealing the same with a friction plug cover. While in the present embodiment of the invention the cans stand still when the covers are applied, it is obvious that the cover releasing mechanism might be timed so that the cover could be applied to the can while traveling.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, a supporting means for covers extending across the path of travel of the cans at right angles thereto, means for moving covers along said supporting means to a position directly over cans beneath the same and means for simultaneously moving said supporting means from beneath the covers for dropping the covers onto the cans,

2. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, a supporting means for covers extending across the path of travel of the cans at right angles thereto, means for moving covers along said supporting means to a position directly over cans beneath the same, means for simultaneously moving said supporting means from beneath the covers for dropping the covers onto the cans and means controlled by the cans for feeding and releasing covers only when there are cans to be covered.

3. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, a stack holder for the covers, means for releasing the covers from the stack holder one at a time, means for feeding the covers in a line at right angles to the path of travel of the cans, means for simultaneously releasing and placing a cover on a can in each line, and means controlled by the passing cans for rendering the cover releasing mechanism inoperative when there are no cans to be covered.

4. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails for covers extending transversely of the line of feed of the cans, means for feeding the covers on to said supporting rails and for placing a cover over each line of cans, and means for shifting said rails away from each other for releasing the covers when there is a can beneath the cover to be closed.

5. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails for covers extending transversely of the line of feed of the cans, means for feeding the covers on to said supporting rails and for placing a cover over each line of cans, means for shifting said rails away from each other for releasing the covers when there is a can beneath the cover to be closed, and a guide plate beneath the supporting rails havingan opening above each can with a tapered wall for centering the covers on the cans.

6. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing machine, supporting rails for covers extending transversely of the line of feed of the cans, means for feeding the covers on to said supporting rails and for placing a cover over each line of cans, means for shifting said rails away from each other for releasing the covers when there is a can beneath the cover to be closed, and stripping devices for stripping the covers from the rails when they are shifted away from each other so as to release the cover simultaneously from both rails.

7. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails for the covers extending transversely across the line of travel of the cans, traveling fingers for feeding the covers along said rails, means for supplying the fingers with covers, and means for shifting the rails away from each other for simultaneously dropping a cover on each can beneath the rails.

8. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails for the covers extending transversely across the line of travel of the cans, traveling fingers for feeding the covers along said rails, means for supplying the fingers with covers, means for shifting the rails away from each other for simultaneously dropping a cover on each can beneath the rails, and stripper pins associated with the supporting rails at each dropping station for simultaneously releasing the covers from both rails when said rails are moved away from each other.

9. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails for the covers extending transversely across the line of travel of the cans, traveling fingers for feeding the covers along said rails, means for supplying the fingers with covers, means for shifting the rails away from each other for simultaneously dropping a cover on each can beneath the rails, stripper pins associated with the supporting rails at each dropping station for simultaneously releasing the covers from both rails when said rails are moved away from each other, and a guide plate beneath the supporting rails having an opening directly above the cam for centering and directing the cover on to the can.

10. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails extending transversely across the path of travel of the cans, supporting bars carrying said rails, said rails being mounted on said bars so that they may be shifted toward and from each other, and a reciprocating head connected to the rails for moving the same, said head being timed so as to shift the rails to release the covers carried thereby when there is a can beneath the cover to receive the same.

11. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails extending transversely across the path of travel of the cans, supporting bars carrying said rails, said rails being mounted on said bars so that they may be shifted toward and from each other, a reciprocating head connected to the rails for moving the same, said head being timed so as to shift the rails to release the covers carried thereby when there is a can beneath the cover to receive the same, and means operated by the cans for controlling the feed of the covers so that when no cans are to be covered, no covers will be fed.

12. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails extending transversely across the path of travel of the cans, supporting bars carrying said rails, said rails being mounted on said bars so that they may be shifted toward and from each other, a reciprocating head connected to the rails for moving the same, said head being timed so as to shift the rails to release the covers carried thereby when there is a can beneath the cover to receive the same, and stripping fingers associated with said rails for stripping the covers from the rails when they are moved away from each other.

13. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, supporting rails extending transversely across the path of travel of the cans, supporting bars carrying said rails, said rails being mounted on said bars so that they may be shifted toward and from each other, a reciprocating head connected to the rails for moving the same, said head being timed so as the shift the rails to release the covers carried thereby when there is a can beneath the cover to receive the same, stripping fingers associated with said rails for stripping the covers from the rails when they are moved away from each other, and means operated by the cans for controlling the feed of the covers so that when no cans are to be covered, no covers will be fed.

14. A cover supplying mechanism for a multiple can closing machine comprising means for feeding lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, a stack holder for covers, releasing mechanism for releasing the covers one at a time, an actuating means for said releasing mechanism, cover feeding means for feeding the released covers in a line at right angles to the path of travel of the cans, means for simultaneously releasing and placing a cover on a can in each line, means operated upon by the cans for controlling the releasing mechanism including a trip shoe lying in the path of travel of the cans in one line, and devices operated by the trip shoe for unclutching the cover releasing mechanism from the actuating means therefor when there is no can depressing the trip shoe.

ALFRED L. KRONQUEST. MATTHEW M. 'SEDWICK. 

